Food allergy, food intolerance
Overview:
Ingredients in some pet foods may cause an allergic reaction in hypersensitive cats and dogs. Reactions are characterized by itching and gastrointestinal disorders, and are usually responses to a protein or carbohydrate source in the diet. Food allergies are the third most common cause of itching, and account for about 10 to 15 percent of all allergic skin diseases in canines.
Flea
Overview:
Fleas are familiar pests; few pet owners escape the trials of ridding their dog or cat of this common parasite. However, fleas can be eradicated more easily today than ever before. For example, advanced flea control products available through veterinarians require only a single monthly application to the back of the neck or along the spine to achieve reliable flea control on the pet.
Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, EPI
Overview:
Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, or EPI, refers to failure of the pancreas to secrete digestive enzymes normally. This results in a syndrome characterized by diarrhea and weight loss, often despite the presence of a normal or increased appetite. Although EPI can occur in both dogs and cats, the most common cause is different in each species. EPI in dogs is usually due to a condition called pancreatic acinar atrophy, or PAA, but in cats it is most commonly due to end-stage pancreatitis.
Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency is diagnosed on the basis of a blood test. It is treated with pancreatic enzyme replacements, which usually result in improvement of the symptoms. However, if EPI is due to chronic pancreatitis, and is accompanied by diabetes mellitus or other conditions, it can be more difficult to treat successfully.
Endoscopy, gastrointestinal endoscopy, GI scoping
Overview:
The term endoscopy refers to evaluation of the gastrointestinal tract for the presence of a wide variety of esophageal, stomach, and intestinal disorders. An endoscopy requires specialized equipment, and the veterinarian performing it must have training and expertise in the procedure.
In addition to its use as a diagnostic tool, endoscopy also has therapeutic applications. The procedure can be used to remove foreign objects from the esophagus and the stomach, to place feeding tubes into the stomach without the need for surgery, and to correct strictures, which are narrowed areas in the esophagus or colon resulting from scar tissue formation.
Endoscopy does require general anesthesia. Complications related to endoscopy are uncommon, and the procedure is non-invasive.
Diarrhea
Overview:
Defined as abnormally frequent and liquid fecal discharges, diarrhea is a very common condition that can range in severity from a mild inconvenience to a serious condition in which the animal becomes very sick and dehydrated.